New York City's YMCA Camp

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New York City's YMCA Camp
Lake Talcott, NY.jpg
Lake Talcott (2014)
Location Huguenot, New York
Campsites3
Operated by YMCA of Greater New York
Established1918
Closed2021

The New York City's YMCA Camp is a former recreational and educational sleepover camp in Huguenot, New York that belonged to the YMCA of Greater New York. While the YMCA operates day camps in the five boroughs of New York City, the Huguenot Camp was the only sleepover camp of the YMCA of New York City. The camp was created in 1918. [1] In March 2021, it was announced that the camp was to be closed and sold.

Contents

Camp Talcott, Camp McAlister, and Camp Greenkill

The camp was located in a mostly wooded area encompassing about 1,000 acres in the western part of Huguenot. It contained three lakes; each lake had its eponymous camp,- Camp Talcott, Camp McAlister, and Camp Greenkill. [2] While Camp Talcott and McAllister were summer camps, [3] the facilities at Greenkill had been winterized. Greenkill was also home to the Mary French Rockefeller Educational Center and had a large gymnasium.

During the summer, the camp was a temporary home for about 1,200 -1,400 young people each season. [1] [4] For the local community, a day camp was created for the summer. In 2010, after the earthquake in Haiti, a group of Haitian children was sent to the camp to recover from the trauma. [5]

Campers were 7–16 years old and most came from NYC. A majority of campers received financial aid. [4] Activities included social interactions of camp life and provided opportunities to participate in swimming, canoeing, archery, arts and crafts, field games, hiking, and more. Campers were supported by staff members. During summer, counselors and additional staff came from many different countries. [6] After the summer, Camps Talcott and McAlister were closed, while Camp Greenkill remained open for meetings and retreats. [7]

2021 Closure and Sale

After more than a century of operation during which time, by one estimate, more than 100,000 young people [4] experienced camp life, the YMCA of Greater New York announced its decision to sell the property in March 2021, citing overall losses in excess of $100 million due to the corona virus pandemic. [8] [9] The decision came as a surprise to the Camp's Board of Managers who were not consulted. [1] Former campers, staff members, and alumni rallied to save the camp. [10] [11]

In August 2021, it was announced that the Wend Collective had bought the camp with the intent to reach out to "the communities that historically attended the camps, the communities in which the camps are located, and the broader youth camp sector" and to continue to serve disadvantaged youth. [12]

The camp was renamed "Camp Reimagined" and started to offer some activities in 2023. [13]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Daniel E. Slotnik (March 8, 2021). "These Y.M.C.A. Camps Served Children for 100 Years. Now They Are Shut". The New York Times . Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  2. ↑ YMCA Camp Facilities
  3. ↑ Camp Talcott
  4. 1 2 3 Sophia Chang (March 5, 2021). "Citing $100 Million Loss During Pandemic, YMCA To Sell Upstate NY Sleepaway Camp Site". Gothamist . Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  5. ↑ Shelly Banjo (June 23, 2010). "YMCA Gives Haitian Children a Summer Vacation". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  6. ↑ ACA Camp profile, March 15, 2021
  7. ↑ Camp Greenkill
  8. ↑ Chang, Sophia (March 5, 2021). "Citing $100 Million Loss During Pandemic, YMCA To Sell Upstate NY Sleepaway Camp Site". Gothamst. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  9. ↑ Notification of closure
  10. ↑ Michelle Charlesworth (March 10, 2021). "Former campers rally to save YMCA summer camps closing due to pandemic". abc7ny. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  11. ↑ Richard Giavocas (March 13, 221). "Century-old YMCA camps for NYC kids set to close". fox5ny.com. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  12. ↑ Roger Hannigan Gilson (August 6, 2021). "YMCA sells Hudson Valley camps for $7 million". Times Union. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  13. ↑ Camp Reimagined website
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